The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month had two
separate careers in pro football that combined to make him one of the legendary
players of his era (or eras).
George Blanda, who played a record 26 years in professional
football and didn’t retire from the NFL until the age of 48, is best remembered
for his nine-year stint as the crusty old kicker and miracle maker for the
Oakland Raiders of the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, his career
transcended generations and connected legends.
Bum Phillips won 55 games in six seasons as coach of the Houston OIlers.
Though he is best known for his six-year tenure as head coach of the Houston Oilers, Oail Andrew “Bum” Phillips, who has passed away at the age of 90, spent more than 30 years coaching at all levels from high school to college and eventually the NFL.
However, Phillips greatest role occurred even before he ever walked a football sideline. He was an 18-year old student and football player at Lamar College (now Lamar University) when he enlisted in the Marines shortly after Pearl Harbor. He soon became one of the elite Marine Raiders.
After the war, Phillips returned to Lamar and then spent two years playing football at Stephen F. Austin State University.
Phillips spent much of the 1950s coaching high school football at a number of schools across Texas. He did, however, get his first taste of college football as he served as an assistant to Bear Bryant at Texas A&M in 1958.
He later served as the head coach at Texas Western (now Texas El-Paso) in 1962 and as the defensive coordinator at the University of Houston for the 1965 and 1966 seasons.
His first foray into the NFL came in 1967 when legendary coach Sid Gillman hired him as the defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. He coached with the Chargers for four years and later served as Gillman’s defensive coordinator with the Houston Oilers.
In 1975, the 51-year old former high school coach completed his improbable journey by being named the head coach and general manager of the Houston Oilers.
Though the Oilers had not posted a winning record since 1967 and just two seasons earlier had won just one game, Phillips led his squad to a surprising 10-4 record during his first season at the helm. Read the rest of this entry →
The December Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is considered one of the greatest running backs in both college and professional history.
Born in Tyler, Texas and known as the Tyler Rose, Earl Campbell spent more than a decade as the most dominating football player in the state of Texas. Read the rest of this entry →
The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of the most underappreciated wide receivers in NFL history, despite boasting a career that spanned 16 seasons and saw him excel as one of the league’s premier deep threats. Known for his speed, route-running, and ability to make plays downfield, Harold Jackson left an indelible mark on the game during an era that was not yet pass-heavy. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds, he defied expectations of size to become a dominant force on the field. Over the course of his illustrious career (1968–1983), Jackson totaled 10,372 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns, placing him among the top receivers of his time.
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